Expandable braided sleeving is very similar to
those "Chinese Finger Cuffs" that we've all gotten
our fingers stuck in.. When you push the end back, the sleeving
expands to go over wires easily, and then when you let go, the
sleeving comes back to its original diameter (or the diameter
of your wire harness or bundle, whichever is larger).

Ethylene-Chlorotrifluoroethylene (E-CTFE) is sold
under the tradename Halar. It is a highly chemical resistant
material with excellent thermal stability, high moisture resistance,
and very low outgassing. Because of its low smoke generation
during a fire, it has been found suitable for plenum
applications. Halar has also been approved by NASA for use in
the space program due to its low outgassing.

Halar Braided Sleeving is used in aerospace, military,
fiber optic, and construction applications because of its high
fire retradancy, low smoke generation, and low outgassing properties.
Halar is a very cost effective alternative to Teflon because
of these properties, and its high temperature resistance.

How
can I get a fray resistant braided sleeve?

There are are few different
types of fray resistant braided sleeves on the market. Bentley
Harris Expando HR Plus has a resin applied to the braid causing
the individual filaments to stick to each other. Because of
the outgassing produced by this resin, Expando sleeves with
the Plus treatment are not approved for use by NASA.

A few tips on using Expando
sleeving:

1) Since this braid has
a treatment on it, this will allow for easy installation without
end-fray. Cover the ends with heat
shrink tubing (our Kynar
Heat Shrink Tubing is a great solution since it's temperature
rating is similar to that of Halar, and it's sold in 4 foot
pieces).

2) You may want to put a
cable tie on the end
to stop the sleeve from slipping. In
this case, we recommend our Halar
Cable Ties.

3) When using this product
in conjuction with solvents or in high vacuum applications,
where the treatment may come off and contaminate your system,
it is recommended that you do not use Expando HR Plus. It is
highly recommended that you use Expando HR or our private label
Halar
sleeving, and purchase a hot knife from us for $99 (or use
your own). A hot knife is a great way to get a true non-fray
end on your braided sleeving. Just simply turn it on, and run
the sleeve down the blade, and the sleeve is cut very easily.
Just make sure you're in a well ventilated area. For a picture
of our bench mount hot knife cutter, click
here

$99

Look at the pictures below.
The 1/2" sleeve (on the left) was cut clean with a sharp
pair of scissors prior to being put on a 3/4" highlighter.
It is clear that there is some end fray. This can easily be
covered with heat
shrink tubing to give a clean end. The braided sleeve on
the right was cut with a hot knife. This end would be fine without
any heat shrink tubing.